Fundación Centro Cultural Comunitario las Colinas (CECUCOL)

Fundación Centro Cultural Comunitario las Colinas, CECUCOL is a community organization inspired by the liberation theology founded in Cali, Colombia in 1989 with the vision of building and consolidating processes of empowerment, exercise of rights, community participation and sustainable local development through integration with impoverished and vulnerable communities. The organization’s goal is to empower individuals and communities, enabling them to transform their living conditions and contribute to a more equitable and inclusive society. Focus areas: The promotion of the right to active participation of children and the recognition of children as human rights defenders; Defense of the territory related to the recovery and conservation of the cultural and environmental rights of local communities; Food security and food sovereignty of communities; Art and culture for the construction of peace and social transformation; Formal and non-formal education. In 1989 CECUCOL began a literacy program for children and adolescents to address educational needs within families. This initiative also became a space for popular education, empowering communities and promoting the fulfillment of human rights. Over the past 36 years, CECUCOL has expanded its work to include advocating for the right to participation, highlighting human rights violations against children and youth under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and defending the right to water. The organization has supported the recognition of children as human rights defenders, advocated for formal and non-formal education, promoted the arts, and led campaigns against militarization, sexual violence, and environmental degradation.